Brian Eason's The Buzz: Hockey sticks, knives to fly friendly skies

When new TSA regulations take effect in April, you can take your Wayne Gretzky-autographed hockey stick onto airplanes as a carry-on item - and pretty much any other hockey stick you have lying around that you really need by your side at 30,000 feet.

Unfortunately, you'll have to break it into little pieces to fit in your 24-by-16-by-10-inch or smaller carry-on bag permitted by most major airlines.

In all seriousness, I'm not entirely sure how the Transportation Security Administration proposes you get a hockey stick safely stowed in an overhead compartment these days. But presumably they have it all figured out, because beginning April 25, you can get a hockey stick and some other unwieldy objects such as golf clubs through security.

There's something for you knife enthusiasts, too. Pocket knives smaller than 2.36 inches are now permitted on commercial flights, although box cutters and razor blades are still forbidden.

Some have greeted the new rules with confusion because knives and golf clubs are kind of dangerous.

But the TSA explains, "this is part of an overall Risk-Based Security approach, which allows Transportation Security Officers to better focus their efforts on finding higher threat items such as explosives."

So leave that jumbo bottle of Lubriderm in your checked luggage. Safety first.

Terrorism Lawyer Speeding Act

The Mississippi House passed a bill last week regulating terrorists, lawyers and how fast you can drive your car.

Now, some might complain that 75-mph speed limits and new rules for out-of-state lawyers aren't germane to a bill that was only intended to add terrorism to the state's capital murder law.

Personally, I'm kind of struck by the efficiency of the whole thing. Just think: If this worked and were adopted on a wide scale, the Legislature could pass three times as many laws as it usually does.

Or, more likely, kill fewer bills when they inevitably crash and burn. The highway speed limit provision and the out-of-state lawyer add-on, proposed by Rep David Baria, D-Bay St. Louis, have already been to the Senate but were killed as stand-alone bills.

Massages, candy for lawmakers

While debating a measure to extend the Mississippi Professional Massage Therapy Act, Rep. Gary Chism longed for the days when the House apparently had a group of masseuses on call to give massages on the floor.

"Can you check on this to see about having them come back?" Chism asked a colleague.

This was not the only bizarre legislative tradition to surface last week.

U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's 13-hour filibuster protesting the U.S. drone program led some enterprising Capitol Hill reporters at Slate to unearth this interesting nugget: The U.S. Senate has a candy drawer that it keeps fully stocked at all times.

Thanks to the candy drawer, Paul was able to treat himself to a nutritious dinner while he continued his filibuster, talking through mouthfuls of chocolate.

Ah, democracy in action. Brings a tear to your eye, doesn't it?

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

ADVERTISEMENT

Email this article

Brian Eason's The Buzz: Hockey sticks, knives to fly friendly skies

When new TSA regulations take effect in April, you can take your Wayne Gretzky-autographed hockey stick onto airplanes as a carry-on item ? and pretty much any other hockey stick you have lying